I am just back from Pittsburgh and Spring Quilt Market energized and with an action list. How about you? Here are just some items I saw.

1. It’s the rotary cutter’s 35th birthday, and Olfa was celebrating. Do you remember the original? I do. Olfa introduced the rotary cutter in 1979, and it revolutionized the way that quilters and other crafters create. Can you imagine creating the quilts we do today without one? The photo includes the original rotary cutter on loan from the Japanese offices of Olfa. In keeping with innovation, Olfa has introduced a quick-change blade release; no more washer and nut assembly.
2. Fairfield Processing Company introduced Foamology. The lightweight foam elements have stickybase™ adhesive for easy DIY decor uses. Available in rigid and soft types, you just peel off the paper backing, wrap your fabric around the form and stick it in place. It comes in flat and tufted versions. Fairfield showcased a huge wall of attendee-created blocks.
3. New from Soak, the laundry care people, is Flatter, a starch-free smoothing spray. Made with Plant Derived and Renewable Ingredients, Flatter has no sulfates, no silicones, no SLS or SLES – and definitely no wrinkles. It comes in four fresh, clean fragrances. Soak also showed its designer nail polish sets.
4. On the fabric front I noticed we were still seeing lots of clear colors, which I like. I also saw ruffles and pennants in a number of booths. The influence of the modern quilt movement continues with a number of fabric companies devoting lines and divisions to this area. Showing its first collection was Cotton + Steel, a new division of RJR Fabrics.  C + S is a collaborative venture from designers Melody Miller, Rashida Coleman-Hale, Alexia Abegg, Sarah Watts and Kimberly Kight. Each designer creates her own collection and then the team collaborates to “color” the group and decide what designs will be printed on quilting cottons and other fabrications. This is an exciting approach to fabric design geared to help shop owners reach the emerging new generation of sewers.

I have also posted some photos on Facebook of what I saw, so pop on over there for some more details.